Did you know about your garden

Graham Ross shares 5 practical things to benefit your knowledge

1. A node

A node is a swelling on a stem that contains growth hormones – it’s where new buds, leaves, flowers and fruit develop. When pruning, aim to cut about one centimetre above a node. Cutting below it can affect new growth, reduce productivity, and may encourage die-back disease.

2. Bypass secateurs

There are two types of secateurs, by passand anvil. Bypass are like scissors where two cutting blades pass by each other creating a clean cut with minimal damage to plants. Anvil secateurs are more like a knife cutting onto a chopping board, crushing and/or damaging the plant stem in the process. This can let pathogens into the pruning wound, causing disease. All secateurs should be well maintained, clean and sharpened. Bypass secateurs cause less damage if sharpened regularly.

3. Epiphyte

An epiphyte is a plant that grows on another plant for support without harming or parasitising it. Examples include staghorn (pictured, left) and elkhorn ferns, as well as native dendrobium orchids. 

4. Hardening off

Hardening off is the process of gradually acclimatising plants – such as seedlings, re-potted houseplants, newly purchased shrubs or mail-order plants – to outdoor conditions. By slowly increasing their exposure to sunlight, temperature changes and wind, plant cells strengthen and leaf tissue thickens. This results insturdy, resilient plants that are better able to cope with the outdoors and lose less water through leaf evaporation.

5. A scion

Some plants, like West Australian natives, grow well in their natural sandy soils but struggle in heavier clay soils. To overcome this, gardeners graft a desired variety – the scion – onto a stronger, disease-resistant rootstock. The rootstock provides a robust underground system, while the scion delivers improved flowers, fruit or other traits. A classic example is citrus grafted onto ‘Flying Dragon’ rootstock, producing compact trees with improved disease resistance and cold tolerance.